


what have we done? (oh my god)

by Manickmondays



Category: Rooster Teeth/Achievement Hunter RPF
Genre: Fluff, GTA!AU, M/M, i may add more characters and tags later idk, makeouts on chiliad, swimmies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-04
Updated: 2017-01-05
Packaged: 2018-04-13 00:20:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,212
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4500543
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Manickmondays/pseuds/Manickmondays
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gavin and Ryan have been found out, and by none other than mass media. Their names and faces are everywhere and they need to lay low. Perfect time for a date.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. 6 AM: Geoff is properly pissed.

The newspaper slammed down on the coffee table in front of them accusingly, stamped with a blurry photo of the two of them and a headline that read ‘ **LOS SANTOS’ DEADLIEST CRIMINALS… IN LOVE?** ’

“Either of you care to explain to me what the fuck this is?” Geoff looked between the pair, who were doing their best to avoid their boss’ gaze.

“Issa newspaper, Geoff. I thought you were the old one here.” Gavin tried to suppress a squawk as an elbow bit into his side.

“I know what a newspaper is, dipshit, I want to know why your picture is gonna be across the city today. I mean, do you know how many people read this goddamned paper? _Thirty percent_ of the people in Los Santos, and even more are going to pass it when they get their six dollar coffee this morning. They have your _names_ for Chrissake. So if either of you care to explain what the _fuck_ happened, I’m all ears.” Silence gripped the apartment for a long few moments until Geoff sighed roughly and turned to stare at the city soaking up two of his crew member’s names and faces.

“We bought the club out, so it had to have been one of the employees.” Ryan offered sheepishly.

“And I can hardly tell that that’s Ryan, this picture’s so blurry. Its utter crap, really.”

“Doesn’t matter. They have names. And the fact someone recognized you enough to want to take a picture and knew that you would fetch a good price from the reporters is almost more troubling than your faces in the goddamned news.” Geoff scrubbed at his face, disturbing his carefully styled mustache.

“What do we do?”

“Gav, we can’t _do_ anything. We’re fighting mass communications media. You just need to lay low, and I’ll work on getting you both new documentation, credit cards, the like. Shit, we probably all should just to be safe. Just… get out of here before I get mad.” The pair rose from the white couch tentatively, exchanging glances before Ryan silently indicated that Gavin should leave and that he was going to talk to Geoff. Gavin gave him a quick peck on the cheek and evacuated the apartment as soon as he physically could.

“Hey… Geoff…”

“You’re still here?”

“Yeah. I… ah- I’m sorry for all this work this is going to cause you. We shouldn’t have bought out the club. I just- I just wanted to do something special for Gav, you know?”

“Yeah, no, I get you. I’m not even mad, really, I’m just so fucking worried about this. This is a shitstorm ready to kill us all and it could have happened at any time. I was not even prepared for it and I should have been. I’ve got to contact two separate Adams just to get our money fenced out of the country and one of them might not help me out. Trying to get clean and all that.” Ryan tried to hide his derisive snort at the thought that someone could ‘get clean’ if they were involved with the crew. He had pushed getting clean out of his mind a long, long time ago.

“I’ll keep an eye on Gavin, you know he’ll blame the whole thing on himself since he’s the quick one, he’s the one who fixes things when they go wrong, not someone you have to clean up after, you know?”

“Oh do I ever.” Geoff chuckled and shook his head. “First time he ever made a mistake on a heist he wouldn’t come out of his room for days. Wouldn’t celebrate with us, hardly ate. I basically had to lie to him and take the blame for his mistake to get him back to normal. Now, seriously, get the hell out of here before I pop a cap in your ass for this.”

“See you in a few days, boss.” Ryan’s otherwise quiet demeanor was broken by the wicked grin on his face, smiling at the sound of Geoff shouting obscenities after him for calling him ‘boss’, a nickname he hated because it made him sound too much like a crime lord. When Michael had the nerve to point out that that was exactly what Geoff was, Geoff shipped a live bear to his apartment.

Gavin was waiting outside the apartment, nervously fiddling with his nearly obscene amount of rings. “How did it go, love? Was he mad? What did he say? Is he mad at _me_?”

“Everything is fine, dear, he wasn’t mad or anything. Just worried is all. He told us to lay low, which is normally not a suggestion I follow, but circumstances aren’t exactly normal. Hey, maybe we’ll get some personal time for once.” Ryan’s smile was gentle and reassuring and he gave Gavin a quick kiss on the cheek. “I actually have a list of things to do if we ever found ourselves with a lot of free time and nothing better to do with it.”

“No you don’t, you donut. No damn way. You aren’t the romantic type.” Gavin cracked a lopsided grin and playfully pushed Ryan away from him.

“It really exists! I swear it does. In my apartment. Come on, I will _show_ you the list if that will make you believe me.”

“It would. But the longer you take to get to it, the less I believe you, so we’d better hurry.”

“Is that a challenge? You know we took the Akuma here?”

“I’m well aware of what’s parked outside. That’s why I’m giving you a minute to get us back to your flat. From the time we’re both on the bike to when you park it.”

“Or what?” Gavin pondered the question for a few lengthy moments, his face suddenly lighting up with an idea.

“No sex for a week.”

“A week?!”

“A week.” Ryan begrudgingly took the hand that Gavin had offered, sealing the deal just as they stepped out of Geoff’s apartment building.

“You might want to hold on tight.” Ryan called over his shoulder as he straddled the bike, popping his helmet on.

“Ooh, you’re getting sassy, Ry.” Gavin chuckled and straddled the bike behind Ryan, wrapping his arms around Ryan’s broad chest.

“You have a timer ready?” Ryan’s voice came muffled from under the helmet.

“Don’t need one. But your time starts… now!” Stifled swearing rang in Gavin’s ears as Ryan jammed the key in the ignition and revved the bike, taking off onto the streets of West Vinewood. Gavin laughed and buried his face in Ryan’s jacket, drinking in the familiar scent of leather, gunpowder and the faint tang of blood. Ryan narrowly avoided steering them into a lamppost in a desperate attempt to save a couple seconds. Gavin was well aware of how long it took to get between Geoff’s apartment and Ryan’s and legally, it was much more than sixty seconds. Of course, they didn’t do _anything_ legally.

Ryan barely managed to stop in front of the building, tires screeching to a halt. He ripped his helmet off, tearing his once neat ponytail to shreds.

“Did I make it?” Ryan’s face was lit up waiting for the news.

“Fifty-six seconds.” Gavin smirked and stepped off the bike. “Knew you could do it, love.” He pressed a quick kiss to Ryan’s lips and dragged him off the bike. “Now, where’s this list you keep going on about?”

Ryan’s apartment was always more homey than Gavin expected it to be. In reality it was just one of many safe houses set up by a couple friends of the crew, but Ryan really treated it like an actual apartment. The potted plants that almost consumed every scrap of flat space were actually alive and thriving and every time Gavin came over, there was either a new piece of furniture or the old furniture had been moved to a totally new configuration. It was one of the few places in the city that actually felt like a home, unlike most of the crew’s safe houses; abandoned apartments with no water and roaches on the floor.

Ryan pulled a ring of keys from the inside of his jacket and unlocked a panel that hid a finger print scanner. He pressed his finger to the scanner and after a couple seconds Gavin heard the hiss of hydraulics from behind the wall. A section of the wall popped open to reveal a hidden planning room, not wholly unlike the one in Geoff’s apartment.

“Bloody hell, Ry. How did you afford this?” Ryan shrugged.

“You spend millions on cars and champagne, I spend it on this.” He gestured grandly to the space that contained gun racks and safes, trophies from old heists (some that Gavin recognized, some he didn’t), a huge map of Los Santos and a corkboard. Most of the board was taken up by an elaborate web of string and newspaper clippings that Gavin was hesitant to even ask about, but a small picture pinned to the left corner caught his eye.

“Ryan?”

“Yes, dear?” He looked up from the papers he was shuffling through on the desk.

“Where did you get this?” Gavin pointed to the picture, eyebrow quirked. “I don’t even remember this picture.” He squinted, trying to discern anything that could help him figure out when the picture was even taken.

“It’s from our first date. I think you put it online and it’s pretty easy to download things off the internet, you know. We were on Chiliad…”

“Oh yeah!” Gavin’s eyes lit up. “Yeah, after a heist you took me to the top of Chiliad, you had champagne for the first time. I remember because you kissed my cheek while I was taking this, so I look like a right idiot!” A soft laugh escaped Gavin’s lips. “But… but why do you have it?”

“We’re busy people. We don’t see each other nearly as much as I would like so I keep that to remind me why I started dating you. Why I fell in love with you.”

“Ry, you bloody sap! First this list of date ideas, now a dumb picture from our first date. It’s like I don’t even know who you are anymore!”

“Look, I may eschew the more… stereotypical forms of romance, but this is the only way I know how to express just how much I care about you. So yes. I suppose I am a sap.” He handed Gavin a folded piece of paper. “Here’s the list you were so unwilling to believe existed.”

Gavin scanned the paper quickly, smiling at a couple of the things before piping up. “What exactly is a ‘waffle date’?”

“Only the best waffles you’ve ever had at a bistro in Vespucci. Belgian waffles to be exact. It’s the only thing they serve, all day every day.”

“Oh, Ry, can we? We haven’t had breakfast and I _love_ Vespucci.” Gavin clasped his hands together underneath his chin, eyes sparkling.

“You know you don’t have to beg, dear. I put all of these things on here for you. So we can _absolutely_ have the best breakfast you’ll ever eat. I’ll grab a car and meet you out front.” Ryan pulled Gavin into a sweet kiss and dashed out the door, keys in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Fun things are in store. Remember to rate the fic, comment on the fic, and subscribe if you want to see more fics like this. You can find me on tumblr at [m4d-m4x](http://m4d-m4x.tumblr.com/).


	2. 8AM: Eurotrash assless swimsuits

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After nearly two months of radio silence on this fic, more appears! I promise I am not going to be abandoning this or anything, it's just hella long and daunting. It will be the longest thing I've ever written when I'm done with it, and I'm taking my time.

The morning was cold, colder than it should have been and the barely risen sun did nothing to keep Gavin warm as he waited for Ryan outside the apartment building.

“How long does it take to get a bloody car, Ry?” He swore to himself and tried to keep warm in his thin shirt. He could see his breath ever so faintly which didn’t help him ignore how cold his fingers were getting. After what felt like an hour Ryan finally pulled up to the curb and rolled his window down.

“What took you so damn long? It’s freezing out here!”

“Sorry, dear. I had to switch out the plates and you know what an ordeal that is. It’s warm in here though.” Ryan smiled sweetly at his shivering boyfriend, who pouted and shuffled his way around the car. Gavin slid into the passenger seat and pulled his knees to his chest.

“Do you want my jacket?”

“Ok, seriously, who are you and what the hell have you done with Ryan?”

Ryan shrugged, “When you’re primarily known as ‘The Mad Mercenary’ and that’s how people expect you to act it’s hard to be as caring as you want to be.” He leaned back, staring out to the road in front of him. “I certainly don’t _like_ being stoic and creepy when Geoff has us meet with potential clients, but that’s my reputation.”

Gavin nodded thoughtfully. “What’s with the sudden change of heart, though?”

“Today made me realize how… fragile this all is.” Ryan gestured to the two of them. “One slip up nearly ruins it all and that showed me that there’s really no time like the present.” Ryan glanced over at Gavin and grinned sweetly, “So I’m gonna act the way I want, and not the way others expect me to. And the way I want to act is really, _really_ fucking loving my boyfriend.” Gavin was flushed pink and buried his face in his hands.

“Aw, Ry, stop it! You’re gonna make me cry or something.” Ryan cupped Gavin’s cheek and brought him into a tender kiss that made Gavin absolutely _melt_.

“Are you ready for our waffle date?” Gavin nodded, still blushing. Ryan gave a last look to Gavin before putting the car in drive and pulling away from the curb.

Gavin stared contently out the window instead of looking at his too adorable boyfriend.  He knew that if he spent too much time thinking about what Ryan said he would probably just cry, or melt into a little puddle.

They fell into a comfortable silence; the sound of the car more than enough to fill the void. Ryan reached his hand out to intertwine his fingers with Gavin. When Gavin turned to look at him, Ryan just smiled, never taking his eyes off the road. Gavin relaxed and gave Ryan's hand a small squeeze before looking back out the window. As they drove through Del Perro, Gavin spotted several couples walking towards the beach hand in hand.

“Hey, Ryan?”

“Hm?” Ryan finally flicked his eyes away from the road to glance at Gavin.

“When does that place close?”

“Sometime in the afternoon, I think. Why?”

“No reason.” Gavin shrugged and kept staring out the window, watching the storefronts of Del Perro pass by and idly rubbing circles on the back of Ryan’s hand. Ryan looked over again though, and saw Gavin’s eyes trained on the slivers of beach visible from the road.

“If you wanted to go to the beach you could’ve just said so, dear.”

“What?! No its- I mean-” Ryan chuckled as Gavin flailed in the seat next to him, clearly surprised that his cunning plan to badger Ryan into going to the beach had been foiled.

“You _really_ don’t think I know when you’re planning something by now? I’m honestly a little offended.” He clasped his chest in mock hurt. “I just wish you had said something back at my apartment. I don’t keep swimwear in all of my cars.”

“Sod it. We’ll go in what we’re wearing, or buy something.” Gavin’s voice dropped to a purr. “Or we could go in nothing.” Ryan fought the blush creeping on his face.

“No.” He locked his jaw, trying to control himself, but the waver in his voice betrayed him. He caught Gavin’s smirk out of the corner of his eye.

“I guess we could buy something if you _really_ wanted, Ry.”

“I think that’d be best. You getting arrested for public indecency is probably not the best way to continue this already rough day.” Gavin conceded with a nod and mentioned a swim shop he knew of closer to the beach. Ryan didn’t give Gavin’s choice of shop a second thought until he scanned the storefront and _every single mannequin_ was wearing the least amount of legal clothing possible in the state of San Andreas.

“No. Just- just no. You are not getting anything from here. What did I _just_ say about public indecency?” Gavin stepped out of the car shrugging.

“’s the only thing that’s open right now. We don’t have much of a choice. They have _boring_ suits for you anyways.” Ryan pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

“You are the very definition of Eurotrash.”

“Well, you’re the one _sleeping_ with this Eurotrash, yeah?” Gavin’s laugh mixed with the cheery bells at the door while Ryan tried to dodge the gaze of passersby.

“Hey, Gavino! It’s been too long since I’ve seen you!” A deeply tanned, impeccably groomed man pulled Gavin into a hug that was entirely too friendly for Ryan’s taste.

“I could say the same to you, Paolo! How’s business?”

“As good as ever.” The shorter man- Paolo, Ryan had just learned- looked him up and down with a critical eye before speaking. “So this is the ‘mad mercenary’ I’ve heard so much about? I’m impressed.” Gavin grinned and wrapped an arm around Ryan’s waist, pulling him close.

“That’s my Ry.” He dodged the kiss Gavin was trying to press to his cheek and turned the both of them away from the shop owner.

“He’s seen my face! Do I have to kill him now?” Ryan heard an offended scoff to his side and Gavin laughed the question away, waving his hand.

“No, no, he’s good. Paolo’s a smuggler as well as a small business owner. He helped me get on my feet when I first made it to Los Santos. Also told me why it was such a big deal that I nicked Geoff’s wallet.”

“I thought the kid was dead! I was preparing to help him get out of the country and then Ramsey hires him the next day. But that’s the past. What brings you here after so long?” Ryan had hardly opened his mouth to speak before Paolo started excitedly talking again. “Now I know _you_ don’t smoke, but does the esteemed ‘mad mercenary’? Because I have some lovely Cuban cigars in the back if-”

“I know he’s fresh meat, Paolo, but please don’t give your smuggling spiel to my boyfriend, ok? We’re here for the legal stuff.” He nodded sagely and started to launch into his pre-prepared swimsuit spiel before restraining himself.

“Is that wise? I saw you two in the papers, and Vespucci Beach isn’t the most private of places.” Gavin dismissed the concerns with a wave of his hand.

“The LSPD can’t arrest us on sight. Well, they can arrest _him_ ,” He gestured to Ryan, “but they don’t actually know what he looks like. Picture in the paper was rubbish as well. As long as we can manage to be good, law abiding citizens for the next week or so we’ll be fine.”

“It’s your life I suppose. Now!” Paolo rattled off a list of names Ryan wasn’t exactly sure were real designers, but he was so far out of his league he could have believed almost anything. True to Gavin’s word, there were some ‘boring’ swimsuits and he idly sifted through them, not noticing when Gavin disappeared into a changing room, ditzy grin on his face. It came as a surprise to him, then, when he heard his name being crooned from across the store in an achingly familiar tone that often meant trouble.

“ _Ryyyy-annnn_ , come here, love.” Ryan didn’t know it, but he would regret listening to his boyfriend.

“No.”

‘What? What do you mean ‘no’?” Ryan folded his arms sternly.

“I refuse to be seen in public with you like that.”

“What’s wrong with it?” The swimsuit was _less_ than a glorified pair of underwear, and Gavin making a movement more vigorous than the ridiculous pose he was currently striking would have definitely exposed something.

“You need to be more covered than that.”

“That’s not what you were saying last night, love.” Gavin purred with a wicked grin plastered on his face.

“Yes, well this is _now_ and I’m saying you need to be more covered.”

“But-” Ryan cut him off with a glare. “Fine. You’re no fun.” Gavin pouted and closed the door behind him.

“I am plenty fun!” Ryan called behind him with a shake of his head. He supposed his idea of fun and Gavin’s idea of fun were _wildly_ different, if the amount of times Ryan had found him passed out on his kitchen floor covered in glitter and what he hoped dearly was either water or alcohol was any indication. It’s not that he didn’t appreciate the sight of Gavin in the tiny swimsuit, because he very much did, but it left little to the imagination and all of Vespucci Beach didn’t particularly need to have that image burned into their retinas forever.

“How about this one?”

“Better.” And it was. It provided some actual coverage and, hey, Ryan wasn’t made of stone. He liked the red _a lot_. The smirk on Gavin’s face worried him, as it always did, and his fears were confirmed when Gavin turned around.

“Where is the rest of that?” Gavin peeked over his shoulder with a smirk.

“This is it, love. Like what you see?” Ryan heard Gavin snicker as he pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed.

“Will the LSPD? Gavin, there will be _children_ on this beach.”

“So? The police can shove it. I want to look good for my Ry.” Gavin grabbed Ryan’s hands and placed them on his hips, his own arms finding their way around Ryan’s neck. He kissed Ryan softly, pulling away with a sweet smile and a brush of their noses. “Can I _please_ get this one, Ryan?” Gavin’s voice was barely a whisper, but Ryan heard him loud and clear. Gavin, the snake, was just trying to flirt his way to Ryan letting him wear what he pleased. Ryan battled between calling Gavin on his bluff and relenting on the frankly ridiculous swimwear just to see Gavin’s face light up with joy.

“You can, but you have to get something different for the beach. Save this one for the pool at your apartment, alright?”

“Really?!” Gavin’s smile was positively electric.

“Mmhm. You have to get your way sometimes.”

“Oh, Ry, thank you!” He kissed Ryan again and ducked back into the changing room with a giddy grin. Ryan smiled to himself and tucked his hands in his pockets. It was nice getting to be the lovely one for once.

Not that Ryan relenting made Gavin’s taste any less ridiculous. He still had to veto what could only be described as a dick sling and something that more closely resembled lingerie than swim wear. They finally agreed on a pair of white boy shorts, though Ryan still wished he could coax something a little longer onto Gavin. He had returned to the fitting room for what Ryan assumed would be the last time, until moments later he came out with a sheer, green floral kimono cover up on and, as Ryan was now used to, posed.

“What is this?”

“I need a cover up, Ry! What if I get cold? And it matches the stripe on my suit, see?” He pointed to the green stripe, as if Ryan’s entire sense of color theory had disappeared overnight.

“So let me get this straight. You fought me for,” Ryan glanced at his watch, “forty-five minutes on what tiny swimsuit was the _least_ tiny, and now you insist you need to be covered up.”

“Aw, but this makes me look so cute, Ryan. It even matches my eyes.” Eyes that were now pleading with Ryan, paired with a killer pout.

“I’m not saying you can’t get it, I just want to be sure we both understand what’s going on here.” Ryan paused for effect. “You do look cute, though.”

“See? I know what I’m talking about.” Gavin was fighting a blush, trying his best to seem unfazed by the compliment.

“I always think you look cute, to be fair.”

“Ryan, stop! You don’t get to be this lovely.”

“Oh?” Ryan pulled Gavin into a tight embrace. “I can be as lovely as I want. _Especially_ considering how much I love you.”

“You’re too good to me.” The words were muffled by the fact that Gavin’s face was buried into Ryan’s chest, but they reached Ryan nonetheless. “You’re too good _for_ me.”

“Hey.” Ryan tilted Gavin’s chin up to look into his eyes, “You’re incredible. And sweet, and full of life and I wouldn’t ask for anyone but you in this absolutely _crazy_ life of mine.”

“Goddamn, Ry.” Gavin ducked his head, feeling the pink flush of his cheeks, “I really bloody love you, you know that?”

“I hope I never forget.” Gavin pressed a sweet kiss to Ryan's lips and danced away towards the door, seeming to forget that he hadn't yet _paid_ for the items he was wearing right now.

Ryan slapped his card down on the counter to pay for the goods, including a pair of sensible board shorts for him, trying to ignore the way the kimono played upon the younger man's skin through the glass door.  He could tell that he was being called with a siren song, but he needed to keep his sanity for... just a _little_ longer. While trying and failing to ignore Gavin, Ryan noticed that the seemingly omnipresent sunglasses perched on his nose were for once, _not there_.

            Because they were sticking out of the back pocket of Gavin’s crumpled skinny jeans, which he had left in the fitting room. Along with the rest of his clothes. Ryan chuckled and scooped the pile of clothes off the floor, tucking the sunglasses into his own pocket.

“Ry, what took you so long?”

“I know we’re criminals and all, but you do have to pay for things that you want.” Gavin’s flirty grin turned into a deadpan as he snatched his clothes from Ryan, stuffing them in the passenger seat of the car.

“You don’t want your sunglasses? It’s starting to get pretty sunny out.” Gavin patted himself down frantically, searching pockets that he didn’t have before spitting out a curse and turning to comb the store over.

“You really think I’d let you forget these?” Ryan had stopped him mid-stride, offering the aviators with a smirk.

“I thought you hated them.” The charismatic half-grin returned to Gavin’s face as he slipped the glasses on, “I’m surprised you didn’t use this chance to get rid of them.”

“Are you kidding? They’re ridiculous and I love them. They make you look good.” Ryan brushed their shoulders together with a gentle smile. “That and I can’t stand to hear you whine about ‘ _oh Ryan, I lost my sunglasses, they were 500 quid, where could they be?_ ’” Ryan’s imitation of Gavin was lilting and shrill, and Ryan clasped his hands to his chest.

“I do not _whinge_ like that! What are you on about?”

“You’re doing it right now!”

“Oh, shut it, Ryan. That is _not_ how I talk and you know it.”

“Whatever you say, Gavin.” Gavin scoffed and turned away from Ryan in a poor parody of anger, especially broken when he reached to grab Ryan’s hand and lace their fingers together. Gavin probably thought his contented sigh was subtle, leaning into Ryan’s arm as they walked towards the beach.

“You’re gonna swim, right?”

“I hadn’t particularly planned on it.” Gavin deflated visibly with a sad little whine.

“Ry, you don’t go to the beach and then _not_ swim.”

“…I might get in the water for a bit.” He didn’t particularly want to, but today wasn’t exactly about what _he_ wanted. It was about seeing that beautiful, awestruck smile on Gavin’s face whenever he would do something sweet for him.

“Good. ‘Cause how else were we supposed to make out as the waves rolled in over us?”

“That was supposed to happen?” Ryan cocked an eyebrow at Gavin. He hadn’t exactly been on a whole lot of beach dates in his life and if there was some sort of make out protocol he was unaware of it.

“Guess you’ll just have to get in the water and find out, love.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo this isn't what chapter two was supposed to be? They were supposed to make it to the beach but then this got long so. Here it is! All my inspiration came from [these](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuiHqmN15q0&ab_channel=BuzzFeedVideo) [two](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbKCT0EdmQY&ab_channel=BuzzFeedYellow) Try Guys videos, so thank them for this chapter. Special thanks to [KTKuma](https://archiveofourown.org/users/KTKuma) for helping me when I got stuck, because this wouldn't be here if it wasn't for her. Come talk to me on tumblr at [m4d-m4x.](http://m4d-m4x.tumblr.com/)


	3. 10 AM: Gavin is a flirt (Alternatively; Ryan is the Mayor of Bonertown)

The chill of the morning had burned off as the sun rose, making for the perfect beach day, warm in the sun, not too cool in the shade. It also made Gavin’s sunglasses _somewhat_ less ridiculous. Not that Gavin cared, he wore them in the darkest clubs, preferring to stumble around drunkenly before he even had a sip of alcohol than lose the sunglasses.

The beach was all but empty, reasonable on a weekday in the morning. Most people were at work, having scanned headlines and seen their faces, and were nowhere near the couple to recognize them. Funny, how things worked out. Ryan regretted not getting towels at the swim shop, and not thinking to grab the tarps from the back of his car. Not that blood stained painters tarps were romantic, but they would have gotten the job done. He really didn’t plan on spending a lot of time in the water, though Gavin’s suggestion of making out in the waves did sound pretty nice.

They picked out a couple of rather isolated beach chairs with a sort of ragged umbrella nearby, for good measure, far from the road and the pier. Gavin shrugged the light kimono off, and despite it being a sheer piece of fabric and weighing in at about an ounce, it managed to make him look somewhat dressed. Without it he ended up looking a bit like he’d lost his clothes. Which Ryan was… unashamedly for.

“Ryan, please lose the leather jacket, you’re on the _beach_.” Gavin sighed, tugging on the pull of his zipper. Ryan didn’t quite see the relevance in his statement, but shrugged off the jacket and draped it over the back of the chair. “Now go on and get changed, I wanna see what you got at the shop.” Gavin got up on his toes to press a little kiss to Ryan’s cheek and waved him off to the sandy little changing stall.

A couple minutes later Ryan came back, shirtless and displeased. Mostly displeased at having to be shirtless, but that was no matter. He was here to make Gavin happy.

“Ry, what are- are those bloody… lit’le sharks on your suit?” Gavin pointed to Ryan’s swim trunks with an incredulous look and Ryan looked down at them with a shrug.

“What’s wrong with sharks?”

“Oh, Ryan, Ryan, that is _adorable_!” Gavin cooed and Ryan folded his arms, brows knit.

“No.”

“No? Don’t be all pouty, love, it is cute.” Gavin poked his arm, finger meeting firm muscle and not moving Ryan a bit.

“No, sharks aren’t cute, they’re deadly predators. Like me.” Gavin quirked an eyebrow above his sunglasses. Ryan gave nothing away, remaining as blank faced as he could.

“Well, alright, Edgy McHaywood, sharks belong in the water, so come on then.” Gavin started to walk away, clearly expecting Ryan to follow, and stopped dead in his tracks when he cast a glance behind him to find the man stood exactly where Gavin left him, smirking softly. He turned around with a little huff, shoulders slumping and stalked back to Ryan. “C’mere, you prick, we’re gonna make out in the waves, remember?” Ryan remembered very well. “An’ I know you don’t like the beach too much, but what I also know is you’ve tended to like the sight of me coming out the water, all wet and shimmery.” Ryan also remembered _that_ very well too, how Jack had teased him because his jaw dropped as he saw Gavin coming out of the water, shaking the seawater from his hair. The thought of getting to see that again without jeers from the rest of the crew eventually had him letting Gavin take his hand and drag him to the waves, stopping him when they were calf deep to pull him to a soft kiss.

“Starting early then?”

“Gotta get as much in as I can before people show up.” Gavin grinned as the sunglasses slipped down his nose a little.

“Ah, that’s shite, Ry. _You_ just want an excuse to kiss me.”

“Do I need one?” Ryan’s tone was teasing as he dipped down a bit to nibble at Gavin’s neck, making him toss his head back and nearly throw the sunglasses into the water had they not caught in his mess of hair.

“No, but I didn’t spend your money to just get my toes wet.” Ryan gave him a blatantly false scowl. Gavin returned the gesture by sticking his tongue out, grinning as he did. “Come on then, before I move you.” Ryan snorted a little, shaking his head.

“I’d love to see you try and move me. Like, really honestly try, and see how far you get.” Gavin looked Ryan up and down, pretending to size up all six feet, hundred and seventy-five pounds of muscle. As if a twig like him could move anything like Ryan. At least, not with brute force he couldn’t. No, he wouldn’t be throwing Ryan over his shoulder any time soon, but Gavin had other ways of making him weak enough to do what he asked.

And so he gracefully sidled his way to Ryan, smug as all hell, darted his tongue out to run over his lip, and bit his lip just so to have Ryan’s breath hitching. There was his foot in the door, and next came him running his fingers lightly over Ryan’s folded arms, cooing softly at _just how strong_ his Ry was. Gavin started to see the sternness fall away for something more ruled by desire, and so he kept pushing. He got up on his toes to press a little kiss to the corner of Ryan’s mouth, one he couldn’t reciprocate without moving. He didn’t move, face twitching with the control to stay still and not take Gavin by the waist and kiss him like there was no tomorrow. So Gavin kept pushing. He stroked a hand down Ryan’s chest to palm at him through the trunks, and as soon as he could feel Ryan’s knees start to shake he took a step back and gave him the weakest little shove. Gavin could have pushed harder, sure, but he wanted to prove for all his muscle, Ryan could be taken apart by someone so small.

Ryan didn’t just stumble, either, he fell backwards with an awkward shout and ended up in the water spluttering and ripping the hair tie out of his pony tail.

“That satisfy your desire to see me move you?” Ryan pushed his wet hair out of his face, glowering up at Gavin. Gavin just giggled at him, which certainly didn’t improve his mood. “Aw, lit’le thundercloud you are, Ry, you said you’d come out with me if I moved you.”

“First of all, I made no such promise to you. Secondly,” Ryan surged forward to grab Gavin’s hand, and by the startled look on his face, he knew what was coming next. “I’m not the only one getting my hair wet.” Gavin was… about as graceful as Ryan was, tumbling forward with a squawk and a splash that just had Ryan laughing. Gavin popped up from the water fuming and searching for the sunglasses that had flown off of his face.

“Prick! I could have lost these!” Gavin brandished the golden aviators that he had plucked from the waves.

“I seem to remember you not being terribly good at keeping track of them not half an hour ago.” Ryan smirked a little and Gavin splashed him, running a hand through his wet hair to try and shake some of the water out before sticking his sunglasses back onto his head.

“Ruined my hair too. You better have a way to make up for this when we’re done.”

Ryan cocked an eyebrow at him knowingly, “I don’t pay a lot of attention to the amount and types of beauty products you keep in your bathroom, but I do very specifically remember seeing a sea salt water spray.”

“And?” Gavin knew what he was getting at, but he didn’t want to indulge the thought that was making that smug grin sit on Ryan’s face.

“I was just wondering if you knew what exactly the ocean is made out of. That’s all.” Ryan said matter-of-factly and Gavin just really wanted to get back at him somehow. He considered jumping Ryan and dunking him under the water again, but he’d never move him an inch. Ryan was jumpy and observant, and the seduction trick wouldn’t work again, so Gavin settled with his earlier victory and the idea of Ryan finding ways to make it up to him and be sweet. Besides, his hair would already look gorgeous when it dried, sun-kissed and beachy, so it’s not like Gavin would be ruining anything.

“Shut it, I’m just sayin’ I had it looking nice and now it’s a total gamble.”

“Well, I’d wager you’ll look fine, don’t care if the odds are against me.” Ryan shot him an earnest smile, the same one Gavin fell in love with, and it had every ounce of fight in him draining away.

“Hush. Sap. You still have to make it up to me when we’re done.” There was a sight less anger in the words, and the light blush on Gavin’s face betrayed his fondness.

“I meant to ask, done with what?” Instead of answering, Gavin gracefully slid onto Ryan’s lap, aided by the waves lapping at his back, and nuzzled their noses together.

“Makin’ out in the waves, silly.” And with that, he connected their lips. They were both about chest deep, sitting down in the surf as it rolled in and the sun made the water glimmer, but all they could focus on was each other. It wasn’t long till their hands were fisted in wet hair and clutching at slick skin, kisses as slow and even as the waves surrounding them. It was almost surreal to feel the water around them, instead of the comforting press of Gavin’s weight on Ryan’s lap, and it had Ryan scooting backwards and eventually _falling_ backwards to lay Gavin down on top of him as the water caressed their legs. This was more what he had imagined when Gavin had mentioned the idea, and it was every bit as great as he had made it sound. Gavin pulled back with an almost hungry look in his eye, grinning wildly as Ryan continued to run his hand through Gavin’s hair.

“See?” He panted, lips kissed red. “Good stuff, beach kisses.”

“Almost makes me glad I got in the water.” Gavin gave a little scoff of mock hurt, grunting a little as he sat up. Ryan followed him, reaching a band back to try and shake some of the sand out of his hair, something he could feel he’d be doing for a while.

“Almost?”

“Could have gone without the wet, sandy hair and the, you know, being shirtless, but it’s been enjoyable so far.” Gavin deflated a little, pressing a kiss to the corner of Ryan’s mouth.

“You look nice without a shirt, Ry…” He cooed the words softly, fingers trailing over the scars that dotted his body. Some small nicks and cuts, others starburst scars and rough wounds, and some Ryan hadn’t opened up on where they came from yet. Those looked like they were more than random scars from a life of crime, some sort of organized meaning to them, but Gavin had never pried or tried to figure out what they meant without Ryan telling him. Ryan was sweet, and caring, and everything anyone would want in a partner, but his past was not a rosy one. It wasn’t easy being one of the most feared men in Los Santos, and it certainly wasn’t easy getting there.

“I know, but you… you know how I feel about all… this.” He gestured down at himself. Gavin did, and it was that he didn’t like showing off his weaknesses, the places and ways he had been hurt, to really anyone but Gavin. And in the privacy of their apartments. Ryan shook himself a little, smiling up at Gavin again.

“Ah, that doesn’t matter, nobody’s here but you, dear.” Gavin relaxed a little, seeing the light return to Ryan’s eyes, and it was a mischievous one. “And that means I get to do _this_.” Ryan rolled them over and pinned Gavin to the sand. Gavin squealed happily, especially as Ryan started to kiss at his neck.

“Ryan! You snake!” Ryan chuckled, the noise rumbling in both their chests.

“I did nothing snakey at all,” He nipped softly at Gavin’s pulse, “so I don’t know where that came from.”

“Pinnin’ me to the ground and attacking me with your lips is _undoubtedly_ snakey!” But he didn’t protest any further, so he didn’t _mind_ Ryan being a snake. Ryan used that to his advantage, covering what he could reach of Gavin in kisses as he just giggled under him. Eventually though, he tangled his hand in Ryan’s hair and gently pulled him away, drunk with the sensation.

“Love you.” He slurred lightly, easy smile on his face.

“Love you too.” Ryan gave an airy laugh and kissed Gavin on the nose, making him dissolve into the cutest little giggles Ryan had ever heard. He was a little pink and blushy and as much as Ryan wanted to kiss all over that blush, Gavin was starting to squirm underneath him.

“Wanna go wash the sand out of my hair. Have an idea too.” Gavin’s succinct explanation had Ryan rolling off of him to let him sit up, pushing up and sitting on his own heels to wait for Gavin’s idea.

“You _do_ still have to pay me back for mucking up my hair, and it’s getting to be a little hot, _sooo…_ ” He let the word drag out with a sing-songy lilt to it, “Maybe something from that little ice cream stand down the way?” Ryan knew which one he was talking about, Gavin often made him stop there before a heist went underway, calling it a good luck charm. Ryan suspected he just liked being able to get ice cream whenever he whined for it.

“I thought it had been turned into a froyo stand?” Gavin scoffed and let his head roll back.

“Just hush and go get me some frozen dairy to make up for being a prick.”

Ryan gave a little mock salute and stood up with a grunt before leaning down to kiss Gavin softly one last time before heading off, “Can do, dear.” As he was grabbing his wallet he caught Gavin heading back into the water out of the corner of his eye, and by the swing in his slim hips, Gavin _knew_ he was watching.

Damn him.

Ryan hadn’t realized it until just then, but he had gotten a little… excited and had to uncomfortably adjust himself before going off to get the ice cream (froyo, he corrected himself).

No, really. Damn him.

His little… situation sorted itself out over time; there was no boner killer like trying to decide what the often mercurial Gavin would even want. But, he figured too that beggars couldn’t be choosers, and that he knew Gavin well enough that he probably hadn’t made too dire of a choice.

The sight that he came back to nearly made him drop the ice cream (he was far too distracted to correct himself). Gavin had just the absolute best sense of timing and came out of the water right as Ryan walked up, looking like some sort of… goddess, with the way the water was running in rivulets down his skin and making him shimmer in the sun. Every drop of water was like a glittering diamond on his body, and Ryan had enough conscious thought in him to think about h0w that would be something Gavin would love, somehow having a way to be encrusted in diamonds. He’d figure out something for Gavin’s birthday. Christmas, maybe.

Any thoughts of anything involving anything but the present were forced out of Ryan’s mind as Gavin stepped out of the waves, pushing his hair back and pulling a bit of tension out of his muscles. Ryan could see that, as he knew well, Gavin wasn’t lying about being lean muscle. He looked stick thin, and like a strong breeze might topple him or at least give him a hard time, but Gavin was careful about that not being a reality. No one expected a sucker punch from the kid that looked like he couldn’t outweigh a feather.

Ryan could see the smirk on Gavin’s face as he came closer, Gavin could read him like a book, and knew just what the sight of him stepping out of the water had done to his boyfriend. He planned to use it to his advantage, if Ryan knew that look well enough.

“What’d you get me?” Gavin purred as he scooped up the kimono, throwing it on and placing his sunglasses back on his nose.

“Uh, cheesecake and caramel, I think. I dunno, I-I kind of just got something.” He couldn’t help but stumble over his words a little, what with the way the fabric had gotten completely sheer where it stuck to Gavin’s still damp skin. Gavin got up on his toes to kiss Ryan’s cheek, which had him weak in the knees, and took the cone from his hand before he dropped it. (Ryan himself had had the forethought to get a bowl.)

“Thank you, love.” Gavin cooed out the words sweetly as he sat back on the lounge chair, letting the sun bake the water off of him.

Ryan knew, deep down in his heart somewhere, that Gavin was not going to eat this ice cream (he’d really stopped caring about frozen dairy semantics) normally. No, it was always going to be something a lot hotter than it had any right to be, and one that almost had Ryan wishing the sand would just swallow him whole so he wouldn’t have to resist the urge to jump Gavin here and now. Los Santos was definitely an odd place, but people rarely took too kindly to sex in places where people could see it.

_Damn him._

In what felt like days but only could have been minutes, Gavin was done and leaning over to give Ryan a kiss, lips cool and still sweet from the ice cream. Ryan desperately wanted to cup his cheek and keep him there until they were both lightheaded, but he let Gavin stretch out and lounge a bit.

“You’ll burn like that.” Gavin pushed his sunglasses down a bit to peer over them at Ryan, eyebrow cocked.

“I don’t burn like you do, love, I can take a few minutes in the sun.” He indicated to his golden tan as proof. “And besides, don’t you wanna take a minute to enjoy the beach before goin’ and getting food?” As much as Ryan hated to admit it, he was sort of enjoying being out here for all his protest. The lingering discomfort from being shirtless had waned with time, and it wasn’t nearly as hectic as being dragged to the beach with the crew. That always included some sort of weaponry. So Ryan settled into the shadier chair, took Gavin’s hand, and let himself enjoy the sound of the waves rolling in. Gavin beside him (for the time being), the sun drying him off, and the quiet hum of the freeway all were just… perfect.

The waffles could wait just a moment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hi hello i'm back this is a fic again sorry for the wait. school, life, other fics, blah blah. it's summer, though and i've got my hat on backwards and it's time to fuckin party. gonna get this done this summer despite my full time job, because i love you all so much. kiss kiss. (consider the length to be an apology for it taking so darn long)  
> come and visit my tumblr at [m4d-m4x](http://m4d-m4x.tumblr.com/)!


	4. 12PM: The Fabled Waffle Date

Gavin, for as much as he pleaded with Ryan to enjoy the beach, was not a fan of sitting still in the slightest. After ten minutes of lying there silently, he wiggled and squirmed till Ryan offered up his lap as a better spot than the sunny chair. Gavin gratefully crawled over, making himself as small as he could on Ryan’s chest and curling up… And then after about ten more minutes he was fidgeting again and trying to sweetly kiss at Ryan’s neck to get his attention.

To his credit, it worked.

“Do you need to go somewhere, dear?”

“No, I just… I haven’t eaten yet and I’m getting’ a little hungry. It’s fine, if you wanna stay we can.” Ryan chuckled a bit and carded his fingers through Gavin’s hair as Gavin sat up on his heels, looking down at his boyfriend with soft eyes.

“Hey, today isn’t about me, it’s about making you, my boyfriend, happy. So whatever you want to do is fine with me.” Gavin blushed a little and looked away.

“I’m not used to this much lovely Ryan…” Ryan’s hands moved to Gavin’s hips, thumbing circles into his warm skin and grounding him.

“Well, you might want to get used to it, because he’s gonna be here to stay. You deserve only Lovely Ryan.” Gavin’s blush deepened, and he made a cute little squeak as he covered his blush with his hands.

“What did I do to deserve you?” Ryan tapped a finger to his lips like he was thinking, smirking a little as he did.

“Let me think… be cute and wonderful and so perfect I can’t help but let my guard down and fall in love with you? I think that’s how it went. That sounds about right.”

“More like fumbled my way into a relationship with the most feared man in San Andreas who just so happens to be a giant softie.” Gavin mumbled a little, poking at Ryan’s shoulder for something like emphasis, though physically Ryan was anything but soft. Gavin always thought it was a little funny that someone built like a brick wall could be the gentlest person he knew.

“I believe you and I have very different memories, but hey. We’re here now, and that cute, wonderful, perfect guy I fell in love with wants waffles, and I am going to get him as many waffles as he wants.”

“No need to be excessive, Ry.”

“Oh, you haven’t even _seen_ me go excessive yet.” Ryan lightly patted Gavin’s butt, making him jump and squeal, “C’mon, get some pants on, we have waffles to get.” Gavin obliged, sliding off Ryan’s lap so that Ryan could grab his clothes and elect to just slip on his pants over his suit. He was dry anyways. Gavin pouted a bit at how hot the sand was and how all his things were _all_ the way in the car until Ryan scooped him up bridal style and simply carried him to the car, toeing the door open and setting him down in the passenger seat. Ryan considered sliding across the hood of the car to get to the other side, but most times that went poorly for him, so he just walked around like most people would.

He couldn’t always show off for Gavin, and besides, the hood of the car was likely to be baking, and the last thing he needed was burns on his palms. Ryan slipped into the car just as Gavin was pulling his shoes on and started the car, offering a hand with a smile. Gavin pulled his door closed and took his hand, pressing a kiss to Ryan’s knuckles with a smile.

They didn’t talk on the drive, just appreciating each other’s company, the quiet, and the sunlight streaming through the palm trees lining the roads of Vespucci. The quiet moments were rare with how non-stop hectic their lives were, and they wanted to appreciate every one they were given. Whether it was nights curled up in bed, or mornings buried under covers, or times when Ryan would come and clean his guns while Gavin was glued to his monitors, they didn’t want to speak and break the spell.

But the spell was eventually broken when they pulled up to the restaurant, line out the door. Gavin deflated a little in his seat, sliding down and the contented smile sliding off with it.

“Oh, Ryan, it’s gonna be _ages_ till we can get in there.” Ryan smiled and dug out his phone, waggling it a bit.

“You think I wasn’t smart enough to call ahead and make sure we had a spot? I made sure we’ll get the classiest waffles in Los Santos.” Gavin brightened considerably, and _damn_ did Ryan live to see that excited look on his face.

“I love you.” Gavin took his hands, and his eyes were almost sparkling with excitement. Also, he was bouncing in his seat. He wasn’t a subtle sort of person.

“All it takes is waffles to win you over, huh?” Ryan cocked an eyebrow at his bouncing and grinned.

“No!” Gavin folded his arms with a pout. “A little bit. Maybe. More like ‘you were smart enough to think to call ahead and set this up and do a lot of work to make sure I have a nice day’. ‘s not just the waffles.”

“You can admit it’s just the waffles.” Ryan leaned into press a kiss to the corner of Gavin’s mouth, laughing as he pulled away to Gavin’s shocked face and reached for the door handle.

“Wait!” Gavin laid a hand on Ryan’s shoulder, and he only got the door open about an inch.

“What?”

“Leave the jacket. Too recognizable. And- hold on, gimme your hair tie and face away from me.” Ryan did as he said, shrugging off the jacket and handing Gavin his hair tie. He always tended to just listen to Gavin. Gavin scooped up his hair, combing through it quickly and putting it into an artfully messy bun, a couple shorter strands of hair purposefully left out to frame his face.

“There. You look a little different now so people might not recognize you on sight. Also.” He leaned in to connect their lips, thumb brushing over his stubble (he was waiting for Ryan’s beard to grow back proper) “You look good like this.”

“Well, I know that when I’m trying to keep my face out of the public consciousness, I’m always thinking about looking good while I do it.”

“Hush and just buy me some waffles.”

“Of course, dear. That is why we’re here.” They both stepped out of the car in tandem, and fought the urge to hold hands as Ryan mentioned to the waitress out front that he had made reservations— under a fake name, of course. They didn’t want to do anything too conspicuous, something that might make people stare a little longer and figure out who they were. And all Gavin had to do was ask politely if they could maybe be placed a bit off to the side, and the waitress just _did_. How easily Gavin could get people to bend to his will never failed to amaze Ryan.

As soon as they slid into the booth, Gavin grabbed Ryan’s hand with an urgency that had Ryan cocking his head and asking if Gavin was alright.

“I’m fine! I’m perfect, I just… I dunno, I kinda want this to feel like a normal date, like we’re normal people and not, you know.” He lowered his voice to disguise his words under the hum of conversation. “Criminals.”

Ryan chuckled a little and looked over at their hands, the rings— trophies, really— on Gavin’s slim fingers, and the rough and scarred back of his own. Hands evidence of hundreds of split knuckles and fumbled knives and a life gripping steering wheels, handlebars, guns. He didn’t think either of them would ever pass for normal people. “We can be not criminals right now. That’s fair.” He gave Gavin’s hand a squeeze, and shot him a half smile before prodding him to make a decision, because Ryan knew it would take a while.

It did, Gavin settled on the purportedly famous red velvet waffles _ages_ after Ryan picked the pecan waffles with whipped cream (he was still a Georgia boy at heart) and they tangled their legs together under the table as they waited. They chatted aimlessly, about Ryan’s upcoming weekend solo job, and how much Gavin was gonna miss him, but how it would make his return that much sweeter. They both had received a text from Geoff telling them that no other news had managed to get their hands on the pictures, so at least those weren’t getting spread around by anyone other than over concerned moms living in the suburbs and spending their workday on Facebook.

They were talking about Gavin’s idea for a heist, something involving the modern art gallery and ‘showing up those rich pricks’ as if everyone in the crew didn’t qualify for that title when their food came out, and they were far too absorbed in the discussion— and each other— to notice.

“Hey, something’s been sort of bothering me since this morning.” Gavin cut off a little bite of his waffle, pausing his thought to sigh at how _damn good_ they were.

“Yeah?” Ryan had a similar pause, because he needed a second to stop himself from waxing poetic about candied pecans.

“It’s just… We know there had to be some guy at that club who ratted us out, but who would sell those pictures to the news, you know? Like, why did they know we were important enough? I dunno.” He picked at his plate, poking at the cream cheese frosting on his waffle.

“Well, you have to remember we are… somewhat notorious criminals. I mean, Los Santos is pretty much riddled with crime. Hell, we’re probably sitting in here with people with criminal records right now. And don’t we always celebrate at that club because they never rat us out to the cops? It’s probably just some little drug dealer looking to move up in his gang while also working a late shift while a couple of criminals grind on each other.” They both chuckled a bit at the memory of just what they had gotten up to, dragging each other out the back door and giggling against each other’s lips.

Gavin jabbed his forkful of waffle at Ryan, "We need to figure out who this guy is, and how he found us." He spoke through his chewing.

"Gavin, if you poke that in my face again, I will eat it."

Gavin swallowed and rolled his eyes, "Come off it, Ryan." He took the bite off his fork and stabbed another chunk. "Check the article, maybe it has the name." He indicated to Ryan with his fork again, waving his fork a bit like he should pull out his phone. There was barely a second before Ryan leaned forward and captured the fork in his mouth. He sat back chewing thoughtfully.

"Hm. Pretty good. Wouldn’t get ‘em myself, but that’s just me."

Gavin gaped, "Ry!"

"I said I would, and you did. So I ate your food."

Gavin pouted and looked at his food sadly.

"Gavin."

He peeked up at Ryan who was holding a forkful of his own food to him.

"Here, have some of mine if you're so upset about it."

Gavin waited a beat before taking the offered food. He smiled as he chewed.  When he finished the bite, he leaned forward to plant a kiss on Ryan's lips. He paused, "You're sweeter than the whipped cream." He whispered against his lips.

Ryan rolled his eyes but his gaze turned soft when he looked at Gavin.

“Who’s the sap now?” Gavin pushed his arm lightly and sat back down, digging out his own phone.

“Hush, I’m allowed to be a sap.” He quickly had the Los Santos Times website pulled up and dodging all of the prompts that he had to pay to view the article, somehow pulling up a script editor on his phone and clearing his way to looking at the article for free. He didn’t just _waste_ his money.

It was, unsurprisingly, right there on the front of the website, the blurry photos and the painfully dramatic headline, and Gavin had to restrain from rolling his eyes. He hadn’t read the article— Geoff hadn’t really given him time when he was waving it in his face— and it was pure speculation as far as to what the nature of their relationships was. But, there it was, plain as day, his and Ryan’s name and a picture that looked like it had been taken in the middle of the night in an alley. Which it had. What he hadn’t noticed in the paper, and what the website purported to be an online exclusive, were even more pictures of the two of them. Just as bad, taken in the dim light of the club, but they were just frankly embarrassing, and Gavin briefly wondered if this was what celebrities felt like.

“Ryan, look at this.” He shoved his phone between Ryan and his waffles, which he was not pleased about. Gavin was not wise enough to not separate a man from his waffles.

“Oh my god, is that a picture of us dancing?”

“I think it is.” Ryan groaned and tried to drown himself in sugar and cream, but Gavin was relentless and found another picture.

“This might be the worst thing I’ve ever seen, love, I’ve seen bad pictures of me but- I’m tempted to send some nice looking ones so they can get this crap off their website. This is just awful.” He kept scrolling through the pictures, wincing at the _awful_ faces he was pulling in some of them and decided that he was done torturing himself and that he was just going to find who published this nonsense.

“Huh.” Gavin bit at his lip while Ryan cocked an eyebrow at him.

“What?”

“Name Adam Kovic sound familiar to you? Can’t place it, but I swear I’ve heard that name before.” Ryan shook his head, shrugging a little and taking another bite of his waffles before they got cold.

“I’m terrible with names, and you do a lot of the work with the other gangs anyways. Doesn’t mean I wouldn’t look into him, run the name by Geoff, Jack, too. I’m just not the right person to ask.” Gavin nodded a little and quickly shot a text to the rest of the crew, pulling up another tab on his phone and looking up the name.

“All that’s coming up is how he’s a writer at the LS Times, but I don’t read that paper. His _face_ doesn’t even look familiar! See?” Ryan looked up from his plate and snorted a little.

“Looks like Jeremy with glasses.” Gavin looked back at the picture from his little profile on the site, tilting his head with a little ‘fair’ and scrolling down a bit more to see what he could find. Absolutely nothing, apparently, so he just put his phone down and enjoyed his breakfast (and his boyfriend).

Despite the fact that they wanted to keep a low profile, Gavin couldn’t help but take Ryan’s hand and coo a bit at him, just because he was so _damned_ happy to get to spend time with him. And so Ryan was very surprised when the sweet little kisses to his knuckles stopped and a grave look took over his face. Ryan cocked his head a bit and Gavin hunkered down.

“He just walked in.” Gavin hissed, making Ryan even more confused.

“What?”

“Bloody-” Gavin gestured vaguely till he found his words, “Jeremy with glasses, and a couple of other blokes. Curly hair and other glasses guy with… two mimosas, looks like.” Ryan’s eyes widened in understanding and he refrained from turning around to look at them.

“You think we need to leave?”

“Probably, but they’re in the direction of the door. I dunno how we’re meant to sneak out of here, Ry.” Ryan snorted a little, digging out his wallet and throwing a few bills on the table so they could slip out guilt free.

“We go out the back, duh. We’ll wait till the waiter is distracting them and then head out.” Ryan shrugged as if slipping out the back door of a restaurant was something people simply did, especially people trying to stay inconspicuous. Though, truly, how long was that meant to last?

Soon enough a waitress came over, bubbly and cute with a cheerleader-esque high pony tail, and her enthusiasm was enough to occupy them so Ryan and Gavin could slide away unnoticed. Ryan had a firm hand on Gavin’s arm, guiding him through the back of the restaurant and through a door he could not have possibly known existed into the bright Los Santos sun. Gavin pulled the sunglasses from his hair and put them on, mentally sticking his tongue out at everyone in the crew who called him silly for having the garish glasses on him at all times. They lived in San Andreas for god’s sake. It was sunny _all_ the time.

“Sorry for the ruined waffle date, dear.” Ryan let his hand slip from Gavin’s arm to slide around his waist. Gavin shrugged and grinned, slipping his own arm around Ryan’s waist.

“Ah, it was exciting, ducking out of there like we were some kind of spies. And besides, you’ll find a way to make it up to me, yeah?” Ryan guided him around the building through the little alley till they were back on the main road and heading towards the car.

“Well, since my plan to end out the day was wander around Vespucci and grab some supplies for a dinner picnic up on Chiliad, I’d say that’s making it up to you.” Gavin hugged him a bit closer, grinning up at him with a smile as golden as all that jewelry he was dripping with.

“Awe, Ry, love, that’s perfect. You’re perfect.” He stopped them to get up on his toes to press a kiss to Ryan’s cheek, and take his hand so they could amble around the classy boutiques of Vespucci (that Gavin unabashedly loved— and hoped Ryan would indulge him in a little shopping at.)

“Ah, I try, dear.” Ryan squeezed Gavin’s hand and kissed his hair, now perfectly styled by the sea water he was complaining so much about as Gavin was already dragging him to a high-end clothing store, going on about some new collections he wanted to check out and maybe model a little.

Ryan was just along for the ride.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So. Again, this took a bit of a while but I just have to keep truckin' through my job, and also write another multi chapter at the same time (slow burn too, so you'll understand just how much is going into this) all while trying to sleep. I hope you still enjoy the chapter and stick around for the last two(?)  
> You can find me on tumblr at [m4d-m4x](http://m4d-m4x.tumblr.com/).


	5. 7 PM: Chiliad Dinner Date (And Some News)

Ryan really didn’t know how he ended up making seven trips back to the car so he didn’t have to be the boyfriend loaded up with shopping bags, but he did, and somehow Gavin bought seven trips _worth_ of clothing and jewelry and— bizarrely— home décor before Ryan had to call it quits. Not because he was spending too much, that wasn’t likely to become an issue any time soon, but because they did still have plans. And so after a quick trip to the store, where Gavin was made to sit in the car and was subsequently not allowed to look into any of the bags, Ryan didn’t care how much he pouted, they were on their way to Chiliad.

“But why’s it this big secret, love? ‘s just shopping, yeah?”

“It’s not a secret, but a surprise.” Ryan tried to placate him with a kiss, and it barely worked.

“That’s the same thing!” Gavin squawked and threw his hands up before folding them again with a pout.

“Not all secrets are surprises. Surprises are nice. Most of the time, at least. This surprise is nice. Just… let me have this one, okay, dear?” The tiny shops and dingy bars flitted past, haloed by the afternoon sun and Ryan offered his hand. Gavin fumed a second more before softening and taking Ryan’s hand.

“This better be worth the wait.”

“Have I ever disappointed you?” And with that, he pressed a kiss to the back of Gavin’s hand, and revved the car a bit.

The drive to Chiliad was a few hours and they had nothing to do but roll down the widows, sing badly along to the radio stations that fizzled in and out and Ryan let his hair down to let the wind have its way with it. Gavin giggled and ran his hands through Ryan’s now unruly hair, tangling his fingers and pulling Ryan’s head a bit closer to kiss his temple. Ryan laughed along with him, bringing his hand up for a kiss. And when Gavin cooed at a little stand sitting at the side of the road, Ryan pulled over and bought them milkshakes. They sat on the hood, hands tangled on the warm aluminum as they sipped their shakes in the heat of the afternoon sun, barely shaded by the sparse palm trees. Gavin scooted over shyly, leaning on Ryan’s shoulder like it was their second date and he wasn’t sure of anything yet. Ryan smiled down at him, and pressed a kiss to his hair in between sips of his milkshake.

“This is nice.” Gavin murmured, watching the veritable convoy of tractors drive past, glad they weren’t stuck behind that. As much as Ryan revving the car past them would delight him.

“Yeah. We should do this more. Not just when we have to stay away from cops.”

Gavin giggled a little bit, “Yeah, yeah, but could you imagine, a lovely romantic dinner lit by police lights?”

“How would you even sit there long enough to have a nice dinner?” Ryan chuckled, looking down at his boyfriend, who was spluttering and trying to explain his logic.

“I dunno! It would just be funny!” He broke down into laughter, realizing just how impractical his idea was. But he was sticking to his guns. “I didn’t say the cops had to be in pursuit!”

“Sure, Gavin, you just thought the LSPD would be kind enough to show up and provide mood lighting.”

“… Shut it.” Ryan laughed, more to himself than anything, and leaned down to kiss Gavin properly.

“You wanna get going?” Ryan asked softly, barely brushing their lips together as he spoke. Gavin nodded, pulling away and letting go of Ryan’s hand to slide off the hood of the car.

“Excited about this surprise you have.” Ryan slid off the car, grabbing Gavin’s cup and taking the _obviously_ superfluous couple of steps to the trash.

“Well, come on then, I wanna time this right.” Gavin didn’t disguise his confusion at Ryan’s odd statement, and Ryan gave nothing away. But Gavin didn’t hesitate to slip back into the car and pull a leg close to him, resting his cheek on his knee. They headed off again, the car quieter than before, but the atmosphere no less loving. It was the companionable silence of two people who knew the other well enough that there was no need to speak all the time.

A couple more hours passed till they hit the dirt road up Chiliad, and Ryan was fighting his car more than was really necessary, but he knew there was no way in hell Gavin was walking up Chiliad for a date. He had things to keep cool in the car anyways. But after he was pretty sure he’d ruined the tires and would have to wheel this thing into Jeremy and Matt’s shop with his tail tucked in between his legs, they were at the top of Chiliad, and blissfully alone.

“Alright, Ry, what’s this surprise you’re all excited about?” Ryan sighed, carrying all the bags and moving significantly slower.

“Can you be patient for at least a moment, Gavin?” Ryan knew the question was asked in vain, but he had to ask regardless. As expected, Gavin just whined a little and stamped his feet like a petulant child.

“I’ve been waiting for _hours_ , love, I’m excited.” Ryan caught up with Gavin at the top of the mountain, who was standing there with a sour little pout. Ryan kissed the look off of his face and staked out a place to set up. He found a nice flat spot, grassy and free of roots and he rooted through the bags for the blanket he had bought for this exact purpose.

“You could help, you know?” Gavin smiled as he spread the blanket out, pinning it with the bags of food.

“It’s far more fun to watch you work, though.” Ryan rolled his eyes and beckoned Gavin over, telling him to at least sit and be with him while he set dinner up. That was more than fine with Gavin, and he came and sat crosslegged in the exact center of the blanket with a sweet smile on his face.

“This isn’t exactly going to be the fanciest of meals but, you know, I tried.” Ryan crawled to sit next to him, grabbing the plates next to him and handed one to Gavin, which he took gratefully.

“Ah, who cares about a fancy meal when I’m sharing it with you?” Gavin grinned at Ryan’s slack jaw and shocked face, taking the opportunity to steal a grape off of his plate.

“Gav… I…” He laughed a bit, ducking his head, “And you call me the sap.”

Gavin shrugged, plucking yet another grape from Ryan’s plate. “There’s a sap under all this, you just got to get at him.” Ryan smiled, delicately batting his hand away from stealing yet another grape without his smile faltering one bit.

“I love you.” Ryan sighed.

“Love you too.” Gavin leaned in to kiss Ryan, not even bothering to take the opportunity to swipe more of his food to cup Ryan’s face and brush his fingers over Ryan’s stubble. He pulled apart, lips sticking a bit and leaned their foreheads together. “So lucky to have you.” They would have stayed like that for far longer had Gavin’s stomach not rumbled a little, making them giggle.

“I think I should let you eat then, dear.” Gavin nodded, pulling back a little and taking a bite of his sandwich before it slid off of his plate. He hummed happily and tangled his fingers with Ryan.

“I know I said this before, down at that lil’ shake stand, but this? This is nice. This was a lovely surprise.” The sun had begun to set, and the city began to light up in response. The purples and oranges clinging to the airy clouds and streaking across the sky painted a beautiful backdrop to the corrupt city they called home. It was easy to forget the things they had done in that city from up here, it was easy to be two people on a date and not criminals trying to lay low.

“Yeah, Gav, this is nice.” Ryan sighed softly and started eating, very aware of the missing grapes from his plate but more than willing to forgive Gavin for his sticky fingers.

 When they were almost done, Ryan leaned forward to pull a bottle of champagne from a bag, along with a couple of plastic flutes, a knowing smile on his face.

“Champagne, Ryan, really? That’s class.” Ryan just chuckled and popped the cork, catching all the fizz in a flute expertly. He poured a proper glass for Gavin and handed it over, Gavin taking it with a coy little smile. He took a sip with a sort of practiced poise, humming a little at Ryan’s surprisingly good champagne choice.

“Well, you know, I had to make things nice for our date. It’s not just any old date after all.” He dug out his wallet, and showed Gavin the copy of the picture from their first date before digging it out and showing him the date printed in his decisive hand on the back. A year ago. Today. He grinned over at Gavin while he spluttered on his sip of champagne, trying not to spit it everywhere.

“Ryan! I’m so sorry!” He dabbed gently at his mouth with his sleeve, trying to clean himself up a little bit. “I didn’t even remember! I mean, I knew it was soon but I didn’t think to check and-” He stopped his chatter when Ryan laid a hand over his, smiling gently.

“Gav. Happy anniversary.” He spoke firmly, but sweetly, and it had Gavin relaxing and smiling right back at him.

“Happy anniversary, Ry.” Gavin gazed over at Ryan softly, the love evident in his eyes. “Wait!” Gavin dug his phone from his pocket, sticking it out and leaning in to get a picture with Ryan. “We’ve got to have a matching set, yeah?” Ryan chuckled and nodded a bit, and before he could lean in and surprise Gavin by kissing his cheek like he had a year ago, Gavin was doing the exact same and getting a surprisingly good picture of Ryan’s shocked face. Gavin just dissolved into giggles and fell into Ryan’s lap, laying across his legs and throwing an arm over his head lazily.

“Can’t believe it’s been a year, it went by so quickly.” Gavin said quietly. It certainly had been one hell of a year, not just for their love lives, but for the crew as a whole. They’d expanded and changed and things were just… different from when they got together. They wouldn’t change it, wouldn’t change anything for the world, but that hadn’t stopped the past year from being more than a little wild.

“I’m looking forward to more, dear.” He took a sip of his champagne that at this point was still mostly bubbles, grimacing a little at the taste. It never tasted any better, he was learning, no matter how much he forced himself to drink it.

“I still want to do something for you, love, for our anniversary. I feel like a prick for forgetting.” Ryan shrugged a bit, setting his glass down gently and staring out over the city.

“You don’t have to. I know you love me. That doesn’t change because you forget to take me out to dinner.”

“I was thinkin’ a bit bigger though, like maybe getting out of San Andreas, like… a vacation or something.” Gavin dodged Ryan’s gaze, but even in the low light Ryan could see he was blushing.

“We could absolutely do that. As weird as criminals going on vacation is.”

“Criminals don’t usually go on dates together either.” Gavin pointed out, smile evident in his voice. He sat up and scooted a little closer to Ryan, and Ryan instinctively put his arm around Gavin’s waist.

“That’s true, I don’t suppose we have to conform to any idea of what criminals do.”

“I don’t think we’d enjoy that much. Because… I mean… I wouldn’t get to do this.” And with that, Gavin has swung his way onto Ryan’s lap, Ryan both startled and not surprised at all that Gavin ended up in his lap before they were even done with the day.

“And I wouldn’t get to do this.” He murmured, dipping down to slot their lips together and tangle his fingers in Ryan’s hair. He pulled his hair out of its tie, looping the band around his fingers and using the hand in Ryan’s hair to pull him deeper into the kiss and pressing his chest flush against Ryan’s.

“Nor would I get to do _this_.” He broke off, panting softly and fingers drifting to undo a couple buttons of his shirt and then slipping his fingers under Ryan’s shirt. Ryan gasped a little, as his skin met the cooling air around them. Gavin smashed their lips together again, daring to slip his tongue in Ryan’s mouth when he moaned softly and rocking his hips a little with the ebb and flow of the kiss. Ryan’s hands were drifting between them when both of their phones chimed at the same time, both of them for the crew’s group message.

Ryan sighed and Gavin just deflated, the mood totally gone. Gavin buttoned up his shirt again, even going one higher than normal in his disappointment. They both dug out their phones to find one, cryptic as usual message from Geoff.

_Fakehaus._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this is sort of the last proper chapter and the next one might be a bit shorter than all the others, though i'm not sure. don't be surprised when it's not it's normal length is all I'm saying.  
> been a joy writing this fic for you all, even though it has legit taken me a year (rip to all those months i spent avoiding it and writing other shit)


	6. 9PM-Geoff Has A Plan, alternatively, We Know feat. FAHC

They headed back to the penthouse at Geoff’s summons. The drive was tense, Gavin’s leg bouncing half the way as he worried about what they would find back at the penthouse. By the time they made it back, the rest of the crew was already there. They expected to be met with a sort of frantic Geoff, the one who paces and who’s hands shake, but they were met with a far more calculating Geoff. He has a look in his eyes that says to the couple that Geoff has a plan.

“So. Who’re these Fakehaus fuckers you texted us about?” Michael asked, sitting on the couch, and Geoff was so focused on the information spread out on the table in front of them all he didn’t even notice Michael’s shoes on his white suede couch.

“Fuckers is right. They work at the LS Times. It’s a fucking front, but it’s how they gather information. Nice and neat when you’ve got a valid press pass and can take a thousand fucking pictures of a… museum exhibit, for example.” A wave of recognition went across the faces of the crew. “Yeah.”

“They ruined my jewel heist.” Gavin scowled and Ryan pulled him closer with an arm around his waist.

“They also ruined our security. Everyone’s. You two,” Geoff pointed at Gavin and Ryan, “are the only one’s they’ve put to print, but I have some… admittedly dubious information that says they might be printing all of our information. A disgusting amount of it for the press to get a hold of, but. I guess that’s what happens when you’re also a gang.”

“You have a plan?” Jack asked, everyone in the room knowing full well Geoff had a plan. Geoff liked to be indulged every once in a while.

“The plan is simple. You memorize their faces. I have them all here, printed straight from the website. Tomorrow, before they get to work, we are there. And before anything else gets out, we let them know who they’re fucking with. We don’t kill any of them, we just scare them. Let them know what _we_ know.” Geoff grinned, and it’s the grin of a plan he felt was destined to work, and usually, he was right. “Any questions?”

Ryan raised his hand, a little sheepishly, like a kid in class. “Yes?”

“What… what _do_ we know?” Geoff gestures to the table.

“I’ve been collecting intel on Fakehaus for… months. Never had faces, most of em didn’t have last names till now, but I got a lotta fuckin’ info on these guys. Each of you, pick a file, store some critical info. Don’t have to memorize the whole thing, but we’re there to scare ‘em so… pick some good shit.” Michael lunges for the first file he sees, and Gavin peeks over his shoulder to see it was the one with glasses from brunch. The crew squabbles for a bit over who gets what, and Geoff unequivocally declares he gets Kovic, so they can have a boss to boss chat, but eventually it all shakes out, and Ryan and Gavin have the married couple.

“I want to be out of here by five am, so whatever you have to do to get here before then, do it. You’re dismissed.”

As soon as they left the penthouse and were in the car on the way back to Ryan’s place, Gavin was flicking through the files, seeing their history together play out together.

“Like bloody Bonnie and Clyde these two are,” he murmured as they waited at their fourth stoplight, the traffic terrible in the thick of the city. Ryan chuckled and eyed the folders spread out on Gavin’s lap.

“Haven’t you likened us to Bonnie and Clyde, hopefully without the dying?”

“Yes, Ry, love, all I’m saying is they did everything together before Fakehaus. They’ve got matching mugshots!” He showed them off, and Ryan actually laughed. “S’ kinda cute…” He tucked everything away, doing his best not to lose the intel Geoff had collected.

Ryan finally made it home, pulling into the garage and parking next to his veritable legion of sports cars. “You’re not going in empty handed.” Ryan warned, and Gavin nodded perkily.

“Of course not, especially ‘cause I have an idea.”

“And what would that be, dear?” Gavin hoisted the cooler out of the back, tucking the files under his arm.

“We didn’t really get to finish our picnic, did we?” Gavin swayed a little as he walked, looking down at his feet.

Ryan’s lips twitched with amusement, “No, no we didn’t.”

“Well, I was thinkin’, we lay out that blanket in your living room, and put on a movie… enjoy our champagne and dinner and read up on our files and then… figured we wouldn’t have much to do till we got up, cause I know I’m not sleepin’…” He trailed off, hoping Ryan would pick up on his suggestion.

“I think I’ll join you in not sleeping, dear. Sounds like an _excellent_ plan.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guys we did it. We reached the end. Thank you so much to anyone who was here, subscribed while each chapter came out, and thank you to everyone giving this fic a chance the first time you see it. This is my first big, real, multi-chapter, and it's absolutely surreal to have it finally finished. Thank you again for every kudos, and every comment. Means the absolute world to me.

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Fun things are in store. Remember to rate the fic, comment on the fic, and subscribe if you want to see more fics like this. You can find me on tumblr at [m4d-m4x](http://m4d-m4x.tumblr.com/).


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